Jumbo old Grump

So we scored some great tickets the other night from my dad to go to the D-Backs game. Brad really wanted to go for his birthday month so there you go. The two seats next to us were filled by my uncle and his wife who just got back from Disneyland. (it seems like every one is either going or coming back right now). They came directly off the plane to the game and so they were sporting there new d-land gear. My uncle had a Grumpy hat on that you could see clear across the ball field because the brim was so big and white. The top part of the hat was Grumpies head and the brim was his huge beard. Well I wasn't kidding when I said you could find that hat clear across the ball field because the guys with the camera's found us and we got to be on the Jumbo-tron!!! I thought I would never in my life get to be on there but my aunt tugged me on the shoulder and said look that's you! I know we got on there because of that hat. So we're crossing that off the bucket list.

So we had a grand first birthday for Vanessa. She shared the day with Dallyn and Curtis who just came home from Alaska. All of Curtis's family were there also to celebrate their homecoming.It is so good to have my baby sister back and giggling as ussual.

As far as the look of the party went I was pleased with the decorations but my cake was a disaster. I decided I don't want to ever take so much time making a cake ever. So fondant is out the door, pherhaps some emblishment but never the entire thing. It didn't turn out how I had wanted, who wants a cake that looks like a pile of rocks with two flowers out the top, but Vanessa & Brigg would shovel a peice of the side decorations in their faces when I wasn't looking. Which by the way you are not suppose to eat fondant, I know hard to believe that you spend all this preperation on an yucky frosting. On the upside the cake inside stayed nice and moist because of the thick layer of icing.
So here's a few pics from the party. Brad was behind the camera so there is a lot of me and Vanessa. He sure loves his girls.
We had a great time and I am so thankful to have my smiley wiggly Vanessa in our family. She has been such a great baby from the start. We took her to a football game the other night and she cheered, clapped, and ate two bowls of popcorn. I just love that girl!

Warning kindof a dumb post but cool ideas

So I have been trying to find some great cake ideas for my little girls birthday. Which wouldn't be so hard if the event wasn't combined with a full grown man's coming home/ belated birthday party. Yea try and come up with a theme for that. As I looked for the ideas I stumbled on these cupcakes and they made me laugh. Cupcakes used to not make me laugh until recently. It would sound stupid if I tried to explain the humor behind cupcakes but it has everything to do with Kelly. As I was looking at different cakes I thought about different people and thought I would come up with a really dumb blog post. But the cakes are really cool so you might take a look.
Kelly the cupcake queen here's a new idea for your cupcake loving fam.

This is so my sister in law Fawn. She understands the importance a beautifully put together cake. Before her I looked at a wedding cake as food, foolish me, what a work of art they can be. Thanks again for doing mine fawny.

For Brigg because I don't know any other kid to say truck so cool.

For my wanna be rock star sister. Here's to having a leather shower curtain eh' sis

This cake I have no idea how they did it but I am just starting in my cake decorating. But this is for sure for my father in law who loves penguins.

This cake is for my sister in law Valerie. It just has so much personality and she is having a Halloween party soon so I thought I would throw the idea her way.

All settled in

The folks are off to Alaska to finally bring my sister home. We are so excited to get her and her husband back in town. Mean while we are getting all settled in to our new living arrangements and I haven't posted in such a long time I thought I would just snap some photo's of what everyone is doing right now. The first picture says so much about my kids. If you notice she is in Pj's and is looking so adorable. I don't know about you but my kids all of sudden become the worlds best charmers before bed so they can stay up. The next is Brigg hanging out on uncle Lance's bed watching "turtle's" (teenage mutant ninja turtles). He had been asking for the movie all day and Uncle Lance and mom finally said yes. The third is Brad and Laney having dinner and watching turtles with Brigg. Nothing too exciting tonight but we are planning on taking over the world later so I'll let you know how that plan goes.

Shout out....

I would like to give a shout out to my house, Yes, my house. You never realize how beautiful your home is until you have to leave it. We went back last night to get rid of the staging and to take one last peek while it still feels like it's our house. It was harder than I anticipated. I have been looking forward to moving back in to Mesa for such a long time that I didn't think it would be a big deal. But it really hurt my feelings to give it the final walk through before it becomes tainted. So in memorial of the house it will never be again I would like to post some pictures to remember our first little home. It grew to fit our family so perfectly

The Heart of the House

My Empty Bedroom with the ugliest curtains you have ever seen! I could never figure those things out and would lie in bed staring at them wondering WHY!?!?

Vanessa's darling little room. This room had such a transformation as we lived there. It went from Brad's stuff room, to a guest bedroom, then to brad's stuff-guest bedroom (some how all of his stuff migrated back) and finally to my baby girls room.

Briggs little Baseball room empty. His Aunt Rhonda surprised us with the room being all painted up when we got back from the hospital. It was the first room with paint and character. Our little 5 LB NB Brigg looked so tiny when we first brought him to see the room. By the time we moved he had wall to wall toys and it didn't seem like he had enough space.

Finally my bathrooms. I bet you can't tell which is the master bathroom. This made sharing a little tiny counter no fun so brad actually took one bathroom and I took the other. Our next house I am holding out for a double sink vanity and not care if that means that I have to clean two sinks. A couple who flosses together makes funny smiling faces together! But I did love how the turned out decorating wise. I got the paint color off of my cousin Sammy's wedding announcement and I couldn't have loved it more.


As I whimper and wine about not wanting to give this house up and how much I grew to love it Brad says, "we can move back". But I think I want to move forward so to bigger and hopefully better things.

So I think my mother is trying to KILL me....

So it has been so great living in Mesa again. It's like coming home again......well part of that is because we are living with mom and dad. I hope for every one's sake that this 30 weeks of schooling for Brad passes quickly. But I hope that mostly for me because my mother has it out for me! She has me wake up at 5AM and then tortures me for an hour or more sometimes. My Aunt Rhonda is in on it every MWF too. My arms, stomach, back, and legs hurt and I have blisters to top it all off. Don't be decieved by her smiling face above, she keeps saying that it's exercise she is putting me through but some how it feels like she is trying to kill me!!

SOOOOO Happy there isn't a picture for this!

So as posted below we are in the middle of a move. As far as moves go it's been so far so good, well..... except for this one part. Brad wanted to check with the neighbor to see if it was okay for him to park our vehicle infront of their house. Mind you this is a man we talk to on occasion and has been quite pleasant. He is vietnamese and seemed pretty straight laced. Because of the language barrier we don't ever say to much but he has been a pleasant neighbor. Well when Brad went over and knocked on the door he got a little more then he was expecting. The man was standing there in nothing but his tighty-whitey's!!! Brad said the guy didn't even flinch and told him everything would be okay. Needless to say I am so glad it was Brad who went and talked to him about the car and not me. It makes me wonder about if we ever know who we are really living next to. People are so wierd sometimes!!

The Move is ON

Well the time has come so quick for us to move. No we didn't sell our house although I really wish that were true. We are looking for renters currently if anyone knows of someone.... It seems a little crazy that we are moving out of our home and don't know what to do with it, but we feel that it's oh so right. Brad just received his acceptance letter to ASU to get his Bachelors in Real Estate Development. This will teach him how to do real estate with the big boys. As you can imagine he is so excited! So we are moving into my parents house and helping them finish the upstairs apartment. And if all goes to plan we will quickly move up there until we aren't poor students again. I am so excited to be centrally located and close to old friends but I am afraid I will miss the Laveen Ward terribly. I think I will post pics of the house a little later when there aren't boxes all over. If anyone is looking to do some service then Thursday is when we are moving and no do gooder will be turned away. Well here goes another big change for our little family. We seem to just keep stepping into the darkness and waiting for the light. Back to packing!

Best Buddy

This is Brigg's best friend in the entire world other than his daddy and sister of course. They talk about each other, pray for each other, and a even fight for the same toy together. A few weeks ago at church we were standing around after sacrament meeting and I couldn't find Brigg. It turns out his buddy came and took him by the hand and they walked to nursery together. One of their favorite past times at my house is to stand on there cars, throw a block and then yell as they leap off of the toy car and tumble onto the ground. The picture above is Blake showing Brigg how to put olives on your fingers and eat them off. The picture below is the two boys being oh so cool with there cars. These best buddies are so great.